Nigeria international Ademola Lookman scored a decisive first-half goal to send Atletico Madrid into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a 3–2 aggregate victory over Barcelona on Tuesday.
Barcelona had fought back strongly in the early stages, with goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres levelling the tie on aggregate. However, Lookman’s timely response restored Atletico’s advantage and proved decisive in the outcome of the contest.
The situation worsened for Barcelona late in the game when Eric Garcia was sent off in the 79th minute, leaving the Catalan side with 10 men for the second consecutive leg.
Despite securing a 2–1 victory on the night, Barcelona’s numerical disadvantage and aggregate deficit saw them crash out of the competition, as Diego Simeone’s Atletico side progressed to the last four.
